


Reading Glasses 1: The Old Men

by thecookiemomma



Series: Reading Glasses [1]
Category: NCIS, Stargate SG-1, The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Crossover, M/M, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 23:27:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18883453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecookiemomma/pseuds/thecookiemomma
Summary: Jethro Gibbs is a Guide.   He's never found his Sentinel. Until now.





	Reading Glasses 1: The Old Men

**Author's Note:**

> I have changed a few things here and there in canon to suit my needs. Gibbs did shoot Hernandez, but didn't marry all the extra wives after Shannon. Sentinels and Guides are an everyday part of society. Clone-Jack is somewhere nearby, part of Jack's 'Pride.' I chose to ignore the fanon trope of shaven guides because I could. The first two scenes are from earlier in NCIS history, then the ball begins the present -- if that's not clear. More coming at some point. Enjoy.

“I’m a Sentinel, Boss.”  Tony stood in front of his boss’ desk in the Bullpen. 

Gibbs grunted.  He knew that. 

“I know you’re on the scale, but I have no idea where.”  There was something bothering Tony and he wasn’t going to shut up until he’d figured it out. Gibbs grunted again. 

“I …”  He started to say more, but Gibbs cut him off.

“Not here. My house.  Steaks.”  The offer of steaks told Tony two things.  First, he wasn’t in trouble. Second, it wasn’t going to be a short conversation. 

Tony nodded and walked back to his desk. “Gotcha, Boss.  Hey, Marshall’s finances were a little bit wonky.”  They returned to their case.

* * *

When the day was done, Tony drove over to Gibbs’ house and walked in, carrying a six pack of beer and a bag of chips.  “Hey, Boss.” 

“DiNozzo.”  Gibbs greeted him.  “Sit down. Steak’s almost done.” 

“Good timing.”  Tony wasn’t sure whether he was talking about Gibbs, himself, or both of them. He sat down and passed Gibbs a beer. 

Gibbs tore off the cap and grunted again.  He gestured to himself. “Guide.” 

“Huh.”  Tony tilted his head. “Never would have guessed that.  Was Shannon a Sentinel?” 

“Nope. Came online after she died. She mighta been one, just not online yet.” 

“But if childbirth hadn’t brought her online…” Many female Sentinels, if they didn’t come online beforehand, snapped online like a light switch at the birth of their firstborn. 

Gibbs grunted again.   “We talked about the possibility. If one of us came online and the other wasn’t. Would have brought ‘em into our bed.”   He smiled a sad smile.  “Moot point now.”  He watched Tony eat his steak for a few moments, feeling the questions rumbling around in his second’s brain.

“You and I aren’t compatible, are we?”  Tony finally asked. 

“Nope,” Gibbs replied. “Checked.” 

“You checked me?” 

“Whole team.  Had to know if there would be issues.” 

Tony winced. That had to have been painful. “Are you ever going to find yours?” 

Gibbs just raised an eyebrow that said, _Are you?_  

Tony grinned. “Fair enough.  I can sort of use you for simple things. Have been grounding myself on you for a while. But it’s not a match. Just kind of like sipping at a beer when you really want a bourbon.”  He grinned again.  “Fair warning, though, Boss.  If I find him or her,” he paused to let that bombshell drop.  “I’m probably going to follow them if they’ve got a good gig.” 

“Figured as much.”  Gibbs sat back, and they started talking about other things. 

 

* * *

Gibbs walked into the Marine Corps Ball wearing his Class As.   He came alone as he always did.  However, this time, he felt a buzzing he’d not felt before.  His eyes scanned the room and he felt his adrenaline kick in. His gut buzzed in a way it hadn’t for a very long time. He wasn’t here on a case, so it had to be something else.  He paused to grab a drink and scanned the room again. Whatever it was was nearby but somewhat hidden. Maybe it was in another room. He was a sniper. He would wait it out. 

As the night wore on, Jethro got antsier. He started moving around the room trying to identify the source of the buzz.  It wasn’t an angry buzz like when he was near a criminal. This was more like nervousness or high alert.  Natural high alert.  He started walking toward the buzz, feeling like he was playing a weird game of warm / cold with his guide senses.  He looked down and Rhea was beside him, invisible to the rest of the world.  This was serious if his wolf appeared.  He looked down at her again, and he _knew._   He was on the hunt. There was someone here he needed to meet. Not a criminal, but someone important. 

As he moved through the masses, shaking hands and greeting old friends and acquaintances, he kept passing one table.  As he did, the buzz increased, and Rhea whined.  Finally, he paused there, waiting to see who sat at that table. All but one of the table’s occupants were men.  That didn’t bother Jethro; he was attracted to all kinds of people. No, the thing that irked him was that they were almost all Air Force.   “Excuse me,” Gibbs began, deciding to use humor to find out what was so important about the men at this table. “You boys in the right place?” He kept his tone light.  The eldest among them, a General by the looks of it, gazed up at him, and Jethro caught his eyes.   The buzzing in his gut intensified. 

The General spoke. “Nah, we’re slummin’ it tonight, Gunny.”  He grinned, and Jethro’s breath caught.  _Damn. This guy was handsome._ “We work in a mixed command and several of our teams are Marines.  We had the chance to be in DC tonight, so we’re letting the Marines out to play.”  He grinned; insouciance bright in his expression.  “What about you? You’ve been pacing around here kinda like a puppy on the prowl.” 

That was a little too close to the truth. “General, may I speak to you privately?”

That took the guy aback for a moment. The others around him tensed up, and Jethro could feel the tension from them. 

He clarified. “It’s a personal matter.”

Some of them settled at that, but some of them were just watching his six. Gibbs knew that, but also didn’t know how else to do this.  _Hey, I’m your Guide, I think._   He was blunt, but not completely stupid. 

“It’s alright,” the General said. “We’ll be over there, and you can watch.  Good enough, Gunny?”  The man cocked an eyebrow daring him to disagree. 

“That should be fine, sir.”  Gibbs nodded.  Rhea had stopped whining and was now sniffing at the man.  _Yeah, he was his Sentinel._  

The General stood and walked over to the wall. Jethro followed him. “May I shake your hand?” It was the surest way to check the bond.  As the Guide, he had the means to see if they were compatible.  If not, he’d just say, ‘Thank you for your service,’ and walk back out. 

“Sure.”  The man – whose name was J. O’Neill according to the nameplate on his lapel – looked at him with knowing eyes. 

Jethro stuck out his hand feeling like something momentous was going to happen.  And it did. 

As they touched, the buzz settled, but something else began to hum.  It was a happy, pleasant feeling, like the first cup of coffee on a bright spring day. 

“How did you know?” 

“Rhea.”  Jethro gestured down to his spirit animal who was now visible to the Sentinel.  “That, and … my gut.”  It’s what he’d always called his Guide abilities among normals, and it was a hard habit to break.  “What do you think?”

“I think we need to get to know each other better.  Gunny, you just threw a complication into my already complicated life.”  Jethro drew in a breath, waiting for the rejection. However, it didn’t come. “Now that I’ve got you, there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go. You just might need… a change of station.” 

“Reserves.  Currently NCIS.” 

“A cop.  Figures.  Now there’ll be two of them in our little family.” He rolled his eyes and Jethro wanted to know what was so amusing. 

“Leroy Jethro Gibbs.”  Jethro figured the man deserved a name if he was going to get to know him. “Go by Gibbs or Jethro.” 

“And I am Jonathan J. O’Neill, and people call me O’Neill – with two Ls – or Jack.” 

“Second B is for Bastard.”  Gibbs nodded. 

“Oh, Gunny, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.” 

Jethro rolled his eyes but smiled.  

* * *

Jack gazed at the Gunny sitting beside him at the table. He’d made everybody scoot around to make room for him. “Everyone, this is Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs who tells me he goes by his surname or Jethro.”  He grinned knowing he would have fun coming up with nicknames for his Guide later. 

Everyone at the table greeted him, and Jethro felt his Pride instincts settle.  Sam tilted her head and Jack nodded.  “Jethro, this is my second in command and my beta.  Colonel Samantha Carter who likes Sam better than Samantha unless you’re her Guide Pete, or Teal’c here.”  He gestured to each man in turn. “This is Sentinel Colonel Cameron Mitchell and his Guide Vala Mal Doran.  Vala’s not from around here, as you’ll find out soon enough.  Pride, I have found my Guide.”  The clear announcement, though made at a quiet volume, shook through the table.  “Jethro’s my Guide. He was brave enough to try to find me.  Damn hard to these days.” 

Jethro grunted, and Jack could hear the agreement in that sound. 

“Let’s enjoy the meal, let our boys and girls get their awards, and we’ll figure out the rest later.”  Jack laid his hand on top of Jethro’s.  That was enough for now. They were grown, disciplined men. 

It was difficult, however. 

* * *

The moment the final applause died down the two men stood. “I hate to love you and leave you…”

“Go, Jack.  We’ll figure out how to get you back to us when you’re bonded.”  Daniel grinned, but Jack could see the sadness in his eyes.  He was the only one unbonded at this point.  Even Teal’c had found Ishta.  They didn’t stay together, but Jaffa pairs were able to deal with separation better than normal humans. 

“Hey, Danny,” Jack called as they left, “you know, if this old dog can find his Guide…” 

“Yeah, yeah, Jack.”  Daniel replied and continued walking away.

“Anybody you need to say good-bye to, Gunny?”

“Nope.”  Jethro gazed around, gave a nod or two to people who were looking their way, and turned to walk out the door. “House’s Sentinel-Friendly. My 2IC is an unbonded Sentinel. Checked compatibility.  More like a kid than a mate.”  Jethro smiled and Jack had to work to keep his breath from catching.  As they walked out, Forrest appeared beside them, clapping a large paw on Jack’s shoulders. 

“Forrest.  Settle down.”  He gazed back at the big bear. 

“For the movie?  Or the fisherman?”   Gibbs asked, leading the way to the car. 

“Fisherman.”  Jack sighed his reply, liking his Guide even more.

“Warn you:  Drive like I’m still ‘over there.’”

“So do I.”  Jack admitted.  “Floor it, Gunny.  Sitting beside you with just touch made my night…difficult.” 

Gibbs grunted and they sped off.  Jack grinned. He was a pilot – he was used to this. 

They made it to the house and both men walked swiftly to the door. Gibbs threw it open, let Jack in behind him, and then locked it.  “Never do that.  Leave it open for my team. Someone’s bound to come by, but I don’t care.”

Jack laughed, high on the endorphins of being near his Guide.  “Good. We can negotiate all that.  Tonight, we need quiet and solitude.  Which way, Gunny?” 

Jethro cocked his head and led him upstairs to the master bedroom. “Haven’t used it in …”  He paused, and Jack could see the pain on his face. “Usually sleep on the couch.” 

“Let’s reclaim the space.”  Jack replied.  “C’mere.”  He pulled Jethro to him, tilted his head, then changed his mind. He bent his head down, burying his nose into Jethro’s neck.  “Smell so good, Guide.” 

“Sentinel. Let me know what you need. Not always good at saying…”  Jack lifted his head and put a finger to his lips. 

“Gimme a minute here.”  He returned to smelling his mate, slowly taking off the dress uniform.  The good thing about both being in dress was that they each got a turn.  Plus, their uniforms and medals said a lot about themselves.  Their stories were on display for anyone who could read.  The specifics were hidden, but it took the same amount of pain and bravery to get each medal.  They were a known standard.  Jack had read that standard the moment they’d shaken hands and it was rattling around in his brain while he imprinted on his Guide.

“Talk to me, Guide.  Tell me about what you do at NCIS.”  He lowered his voice and peeled Jethro’s undershirt off, imprinting sight as he went.

“We solve cases. Murders, terrorists, the whole thing.  My team is the Major Case Response Team.  I’ve got a baby Sentinel as my 21C.  Tony DiNozzo.  He hides his smarts under his frat boy persona.  Tim McGee is a normal, but he’s a whiz with anything techy.  I’m not. Warning you now.”  Jack could hear that this was a challenge for the man, but he needed to hear Jethro’s voice. 

“Mmmhimm, and it’s just the three of you on the team?” Jack asked as he slid his hands across the furred skin. Contrary to lore, Guides didn’t always shave. It depended on the Sentinel / Guide pair. Usually, they made that decision after bonding. Jack didn’t mind the hair. 

“No, new gal.  She’s young. Not sure whether she’s a Sentinel or Guide. She’s from the NSA.  Her name’s Eleanor Bishop. Not had her long. Little bit quirky but keeps us on our feet.”   Jethro’s voice hitched but he stayed still, letting Jack’s hands move across his skin. 

“Uh-huh, keep going. Tell me about your house.  You build it?”  

“Nope.  Shan and I moved into it after Kelly was born. I married her right outta high school and then joined up.”   Jethro sighed. “She always said that if we found our matches, we’d bring them in. She’d have liked you, General.” 

“Nuh-uh.  Not in bed.” 

“You did.”  Jack quirked a brow and both men chuckled.  Jack’s hands moved down to unbutton Jethro’s pants.  “Anyway,” Jethro continued, strongly affected by the touch, “Shan saw something she shouldn’t have.”  He shuddered. “Bastard killed the two of ‘em.  I went down to Mexico and killed him.  Wrecked up my Guide stuff for a long time, so, you might feel that.  Getting better, but …” 

“I don’t blame you, Jethro.  Do you mind if I find a nickname for you? Jethro just sounds so…”

“I don’t mind.  Just not Lee or Leroy.” 

“LJ?” 

“Sounds good. Can I figure one for you?”

“Yeah. Momma used to call me Johnny. Doesn’t hurt but might be weird. I do have a … well, there’s someone who goes by Nathan in my life, so that might be weird, too…”  He shook his head. It was gonna be weird introducing his Guide to his Clone.

LJ grunted his understanding.  “Come up with something.  Dated a bit after Shan, and thought about marrying a couple times, but it never went through. None of them were Sentinels. Rhea – that’s the wolf you saw – kept me from doing much with too many.  When she showed up tonight, well….”  LJ grinned, and Jack grinned back.

“Yeah, I know. Forrest pops in occasionally.  Okay, Hearing is good for the moment. You want to undress me?”

“Oh, yeah.”  LJ moved, and Jack could see that he wasn’t the only one with skills. LJ undid the buttons on his jacket and slid it off his shoulders with precision and speed.  It wasn’t rushed, just good.  He watched the man move, taking in every muscle movement he could see without moving to look more.  If he wasn’t careful, he could zone completely on the muscle movement alone. He shook his head, and LJ tilted his head in a question. 

“Trying my best not to zone out on the sense that’s cataloging now.  Sight, currently.” 

LJ nodded, and returned to undressing him until they both stood naked.  “Damn,” Jack sighed.  “I won the lottery.”  LJ chuckled, and nodded toward the bed.

Jack sat on the edge of the bed and LJ sat beside him. “Kiss me, Guide.”  This would start the process. It was why they hadn’t started kissing already. Once a Sentinel kissed a Guide, or started imprinting Taste, it was pretty much over.  If the pair had a sexual bond, it flared up. If not, it would be a tender kiss that would fade away and they’d find other ways to imprint the sense later.  Both men knew this would be a sexual bond, so they’d been careful not to kiss.  Now, it was time.

LJ leaned in and the two men kissed.  Like a bubble bursting, something _snapped._  Frantic, they grabbed each other’s shoulders and pressed their bodies together, trying to get more of the other. “Slide up on the bed, LJ,” Jack said, matching his actions to his words, half pulling his Guide up with him. 

LJ grunted and followed, hands still moving on Jack’s body. That felt amazing. He needed more. “You got lube?”

LJ grunted again and reached into the drawer. There was some. Jack was a little surprised. 

“Dunno why I stuck that there.  I remember doing it, but thinking it was weird to do.” 

“Your _gut,_ ” Jack replied.

“Might’ve been.” 

With everything within reach, Jack began moving down LJ’s body, tasting, smelling, feeling _everything._ He wanted to know what made his lover jump, what made him wriggle, moan, or swear.  He touched and prodded and twisted and kissed and licked and blew…. Like a scientist hard at work in the Mountain’s labs, Jack tried it all.  When LJ was hard, swearing and shivering, Jack started his assault on his ass. He slicked up his fingers and started playing, taking his sweet time.  His other hand began working on all the hot spots he had found earlier. 

“Dammit, Jonathan!” LJ called. “Stop playing around and do it.”  Jack resigned himself to being called by his full name.  Maybe he could convince him to shorten it to ‘Jon’ at least.

“Yadda yadda….”  Jack teased.

“Unless you’ve got a pressing Sentinel need to torture me, get in my ass!” 

Jack tilted his head, feeling out the situation, and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good.”  He grinned, slicked his cock a little, and started to slide in. 

“Fuuuck.”  LJ said, and Jack’s senses listened. He watched the play of the muscles under his skin and slid a little further in. 

“Jonathan…” LJ cried again. “More, please, flyboy…”

“I got ya, Marine. I got ya.”  He slid in all the way, slowly.  He started to move but LJ stopped him.

“Look at me, Jonathan. Look at me.”  Jack heard the command in LJ’s voice and looked directly at his Guide.  “Let me in. Please.”

“Lot in there you may not like.”

LJ snorted, which rippled through his body. “You aren’t the only one who’s been out there.  Remember that.” 

“Yeah.”  Jack took a deep breath, eyes still open and locked with his Guide. He willed himself to let LJ in, and immediately felt his lover’s presence.  “Yeahhhhh,” he sighed.

“Now, move.”  LJ’s words echoed strangely like he was inside, outside, around him.  Maybe he was.  Jack moved.  They thrust together, feeling each other’s pleasure and need until Jack got close. Then, he reached down, grabbed LJ’s cock and stroked it a few times in perfect rhythm.  It built and built, and the two men roared as they came, LJ coating them both. 

For a long moment, the two men froze, eyes locked together, bond flaring open and sealing around them like a warm blanket.  Then, the moment broke and Jack saw a single tear running down his Guide’s face. 

“Shit.”  LJ sighed, and Jack agreed. 

“Clean up and sleep?” Jack asked. LJ only grunted. 

With a little bit of direction from LJ on where things were, Jack cleaned them both up and crawled in beside his mate to sleep.

* * *

As they slept, they saw visions of each other’s lives.  Jack saw Shannon and Kelly.  He saw Jackson and LJ.  He saw all the things LJ had done overseas. His heart hurt when he saw all he’d been through. It filled with pride when he saw how his team worked together despite none of them being bonded. 

Conversely, LJ saw and felt everything Jack had been through. There’d be no need for an NDA because Jethro had seen it all. He saw the Stargate, the mountain, all the worlds they’d been to. He even had some ideas about how to find Atlantis after watching the memories.  Though he was a Guide, he still had an imperative to protect and serve. This was only magnified by his service as an agent and a Marine. He’d keep Jack’s secrets until the day he died.  Rule 4 changed.  “Tell only your Sentinel or Guide. There is no second best.” 

They awoke and talked about what they’d seen. There had been a few times they were in similar places though never on the same op.  If they had been, they might have met earlier.  

After the lovemaking of the night before, it was Jack’s turn to be surprised. They’d eaten, gotten something to drink, talked, and then, LJ looked at him for a long moment, and Jack could feel something pressing coming. “Jonathan, I need… I need to fuck you. Can I?”

“Not gonna deny my Guide. How do you want me, LJ?”

“Need to connect with you. Looking you in the eyes.  My turn.”  Though a Sentinel imprinted all his senses on his Guide, a Guide had a sixth sense that each one imprinted differently. Some of them it was over time and talking. Some was through other ways, but some needed to go right back to bed.  The teaching they all got said that if the Guide needed a turn it was just as important as the Sentinel’s turn. 

“Lead on.”  They returned to the bed and LJ took his time to feel and touch on Jack’s skin. It wasn’t like an Imprint as much as an investigation.  LJ took his time touching and kissing, but he kept his eyes on Jack’s and their minds connected.  He needed to _know_ what made Jack tick, and Jack understood that.  He also wondered if there was a little bit of ‘turnabout’ going on as well.

“You’re my Sentinel, but I’m not a blushing Guide who’s gonna wait at home for you to come back to me. I’m not a subordinate or a ‘stay in the truck’ kind of guy.  I need you to know that, Jonathan.” 

“I know that LJ.  You are my Guide. Can’t guarantee I won’t get possessive or grumpy when you get hurt or when there’s another unbonded Sentinel around – the kid gets a pass since you’ve basically adopted him,” Jack held up a hand as LJ was about to speak up.  He shuddered as LJ’s hands touched a hot spot.  “That feels good, babe.”

“Don’t mind that here.  May not be as open to it when we’re out doing work.”

“Not the time or place, LJ.  Might tease you and call you Jarhead or something, but the endearments stay in our private spaces.” 

“Works for me. You ready for me to go on?” 

“Chop, chop.”  Jack couldn’t resist a bit of sass. 

LJ smacked his ass.  Instead of grumping, he groaned.  _Well, that was new._   “Do that again.”  LJ did.  Jack closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them, letting LJ feel all his arousal.  “Yeah, that works for some reason.” 

LJ chuckled, a dark, low, seductive sound that echoed through their bond, ratcheting up their arousal.  He slicked up a finger and began to play with Jack’s ass, though he did give him a couple more spankings just for fun. 

“Listen, Jonathan.  I need to _know_ you.  I’ve always been curious. Dad said I was too curious for my own good. He was right. I need to know _everything_ about you. Inside and out.  You might get sick of it. But I’m gonna learn everything there is to know about Jonathan J. O’Neill and I’m gonna keep learning because I bet you change all the time.” 

“Fine with me, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I’m yours to learn and know.”  Another snap fell into place in their bond, and Jack shuddered.  “I’m yours to take apart, analyze and study.” 

LJ shuddered as he slid his fingers in and out. “Yeah.”  He scissored his fingers back and forth, twisting them until he hit his prostate.

“Damn, boy, there it is.”  Jack arched up, and LJ grinned again.  “Do that again.  And then with your cock.”

“Wilco.”  LJ teased as he stuck another finger in.  Finally, he pulled out his hand, put a little more lube on his cock and slid in.  “Like that?” 

“ _Just_ like that.  Do it again.” 

LJ slid in slowly, and Jack shifted, trying to get him to push harder.  “Nuh-uh.  Let me. Give me a moment. Let me love you.” 

“Already do, LJ. Already do.”  Jack sighed.

LJ pushed in and out maddeningly slowly, hitting his hot spot almost every time. “Sniper,” he commented at one point.

“Pilot. But you’re not shooting. You’re just torturing me.” 

“Get used to it, lover.” 

“Gladly.”  Jack sighed, relegating himself to being strung out and teased until LJ was done.  Snipers were one of a kind and Gibbs was one of the best. 

After a while, LJ sighed “Fuck it,” and started to speed up the pace.  Jack twisted a little and shuddered as he felt the buildup again.  LJ breathed out “Look at me,” and Jack did. 

Again, as their eyes met, their souls touched.  Their joy doubled and began to shift again. Something else clicked into place. They were whole. 

“Faster, please,” 

“Yeah.”  LJ started to snap his hips, speeding up even more.  He pressed down on Jack, and Jack pushed a little back.  They continued to push and pull until the buildup filled them both, then crested over.  With only a couple pulls on his cock, Jack came _hard_.  

This time, they didn’t freeze for as long, but they felt each other more strongly. Jack hated all the mystical shit he’d had to deal with since coming online, but now he understood why they made everybody go through it. If he hadn’t known this was coming, it would’ve been difficult to deal with. _Score one for the nerds,_ he thought. 

Gibbs grunted, lowering himself down on Jack’s body. “Need to hold you for a minute before we clean up.”

“Not complaining.” Jack replied, letting him do just that.

* * *

After a few more days of getting to know each other, Jack and Jethro were ready to meet the world. They decided to go to NCIS first and let Jethro resign.  When they entered the building, they saw Vance standing on the edge of the mezzanine looking down from his usual spot.

“Gibbs.  Just the man I wanted to see.”

“Leon. This is Jack.” 

“Pleasure to meet you. That’s Jack O’Neill. Two Ls.  General in the Air Force.”  Jack didn’t look very General-like now, but he wanted LJ’s boss to know who he was talking to.

“Jack.”  LJ sighed.

“Yes, dear?”   That made Vance perk up.

“Yeah, Leon. He’s my Sentinel. I’m shipping out with him. Not a matter of backward Guide-protective shit.  His posting’s more important than mine – I know for a fact.  So, I’m taking that retirement I know Jarvis’ been pushing.” 

“How did you know that?”

“Tony is horrible at eavesdropping. He doesn’t say anything if it doesn’t apply to us, and usually doesn’t tell the junior agents, but he listens at doors.  From his seat.” 

“You SGs are a pain in my ass, Gibbs.” 

“Now wait a minute….”  Jack started.

“Jack.”  That stopped him. “Like Danny.”

“Like Danny. Gotcha.” They’d talked about how they related to people in their lives and how joking around helped both of them cope.  Jack did it more than Jethro did, to be sure, but Jethro sure grinned at Tony’s antics. 

“Okay, well, Gibbs, I wish you luck. Heaven knows you have enough vacation days to just take off. Which sounds like what you want to do.”

“Want to have you, the team, and the kids over for a farewell thing.”  LJ looked a little sheepish.  “Jack’s team is coming too.” 

“Let us know when, and we’ll be there.” 

 


End file.
